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New Feature: Downloading Your Raw Data

Post date:

15th June 2017

Living DNA are pleased to annouce that we have launched our highly anticipated feature, allowing customers who’ve tested and received their results from Living DNA, to download their raw data, helping to continue research through other platforms.

The purpose of allowing this feature is to open up the industry of DNA and genetic genealogy, giving people the tools to explore their results and analysis through other platforms.

When asked to comment on the progression of the industry during a genealogy community round table, Living DNA company directors David Nicholson & Hannah Modern recently expressed that:

"When it comes to your DNA data we firmly feel this is yours. That’s why we wanted to give customers the option to download it. The process of using the data can sometimes be complex and so Living DNA would love to team up with all the companies in the family history and ancestry markets to form a universal database for DNA matching."

Before you’re able to access your raw data, you will be presented with some considerations before and after you’ve downloaded your raw data.

Two of the main points are*:

Further analysis of your raw data could tell you that you are, or are not related to another person.

It is your choice to download your genetic data, and what it is used for. As a company, we’re not responsible for how you use your data once you have chosen to download it.

*all points of consideration and terms of consent can be found when downloading your raw data

After all of these considerations have been consented to, you’re given the choice as to which data you would like to download. As we offer 3 tests in 1 package, you can separately download your family ancestry data, mtDNA and/or Y-DNA. Simply click on your chosen data you wish to download, and proceed to download ensuring you have saved the file on a secure system.

Where can you use your raw data?

Your Living DNA raw data can currently be used through GEDMatch Genesis (https://genesis.gedmatch.com/). GEDMatch Genesis is a sneak-preview of what is to come from GEDmatch and provides the ability to accept uploads of testing companies, like ourselves, with SNP set formats and uses a new algorithm that can potentially provide better accuracy, and more flexibility. In the near future, GEDmatch Genesis will merge with GEDmatch standard.

We’re currently working with a number of other platforms where Living DNA data will be accepted for uploads, and we’ll announce these once each one has been finalised and ready to use.

A new data version will be released July 10th 2017.

We have had some great success stories and feedback from the initial download phase. Although the ‘.vcf’ file format is the current format, we will be changing this to a ‘.txt’ format which can be more easily used on platforms. In terms of formatting of the data alleles in the new version will be displayed as A, C, G or T instead of 0 and 1. We will also be including SNPs from the x-chromosome markers which are used in the family ancestors test.

With all of the new features gradually being rolled out at Living DNA, we’re consistently working on making them the most accessible to everybody who will use the service. If you have any feedback or suggestions, we would be happy to talk to you. Please contact us at help@livingdna.com